Japan’s foreign ministry has come under fire after costumes used to depict terrorists in an anti-terror drill were criticised as stereotypical depictions of a Middle Eastern or Muslim “terrorist”.
The ministry shared pictures of the 10 September drill showing people playing terrorists wearing a headscarf resembling a traditional Arab keffiyeh, a headdress featuring a distinctive woven pattern.
One picture showed a person playing a terrorist wearing the scarf-like cloth as he placed a bag over a hostage’s head. The images drew criticism online, with some users saying the resemblance to a keffiyeh was hard to miss and accusing the ministry of reinforcing stereotypes linking Arabs or Muslims with terrorism.
The backlash prompted the ministry to remove the pictures and issue a clarification saying the costume worn by personnel portraying terrorists was not based on any specific ethnic group, region or religion. It also expressed regret for any misunderstanding.
“Amid the diversifying threats to Japanese nationals travelling and residing overseas, we recognise that the significance of this training is becoming increasingly important, and we recently conducted the exercise,” the ministry said.
「たびレジ」及び在留届に関する広報動画の公開及び今年度１回目となる「官民合同テロ・誘拐対策実地訓練（国内）」を実施しました。https://t.co/cA8uEkK0on pic.twitter.com/1ENDKTqw4T
— 外務省 (@MofaJapan_jp) September 10, 2026
Foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi addressed the issue at a press conference on Friday, saying: “We took various opinions seriously.”
“The drill is very important for the protection of Japanese nationals,” Mr Motegi stressed. “We will work to release appropriate information at the appropriate time, as well as careful explanations.”
The training was held at a government facility in Tokyo and was commissioned by a security company.
The security company said the drills are designed to be as practical as possible, drawing lessons from the July 2016 Dhaka terrorist attack, in which seven Japanese nationals were killed.
令和8（2026）年9月10日に実施した「『たびレジ』及び在留届に関する広報動画の公開」及び「官民合同テロ・誘拐対策実施訓練（国内）」に関する外務省報道発表における犯人役の写真について、様々な発信がなされております。… https://t.co/USj3ekxVLV
— 外務省 (@MofaJapan_jp) September 15, 2026
One social media user said that “dressing the terrorist character in attire that evokes a specific region leads to discrimination”, adding: “I demand an apology and deletion.”
“What’s the Ministry of Foreign Affairs trying to accomplish by stirring up racism? Have the staff at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs really declined in quality that much?” another user wrote.
Another user described the costume as “glaringly inappropriate and offensive”, saying the pictures reeked of a “prejudice-hardened, xenophobic nationalist clique”.
The foreign ministry referred to the 2016 attack on the Holey Artisan cafe in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, in which 22 people, mostly foreigners, were killed after Islamist militants laid siege to the cafe for 12 hours. Most of the victims were Japanese. The attack was the deadliest Islamist militant attack in Bangladesh.
The anti-terrorism drills in Japan have been conducted since 2018.
